NPR Top Stories

Anti-smoking campaigns have had success reducing smoking, and since the 1990s smoking among youth has also declined. However, public health messages about exercise and healthy eating don't seem to be having an affect yet. Kids are developing adult diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.

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The attorney general told a House subcommittee the al-Qaida leader would never appear in an American courtroom because the possibility that he would be caught alive is "infinitesimal." In testimony Tuesday, he rejected criticism from GOP lawmakers who contend it is too dangerous to put terror suspects on trial in federal civilian courts as Holder has proposed.

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ANALYSIS: Despite all the talk about eliminating earmarks, don't bet on its happening. Earmarks come close to the basic notion of representative government: We want to know what our lawmaker has done for us lately.

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Robert Gary Jones, 38, died instantly when he was hit by the single-engine plane on Hilton Head Beach in South Carolina. The plane had lost its propeller, and the pilot's vision was blocked by oil on the windshield. The coroner said Jones apparently did not see or hear the plane, which was "basically gliding."

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Gold Dust Saloon owner Ruth McDonald uses an innovative "three share" model to provide health coverage for her workers. The restaurant is one of 30 employers in a Colorado program that provides low-cost coverage to small businesses.

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Honda said over time, brake pedals can feel "soft" and must be pressed closer to the floor to stop the vehicles. Left unrepaired, the problem could cause loss of braking power and possibly a crash. The recall includes 344,000 Odysseys and 68,000 Elements from the 2007 and 2008 model years.

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Cities have taken various approaches to dealing with property left out in public by the homeless. Many seize and destroy it, but some are trying to find ways to store and protect it.

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Democrats are exploring a tricky procedure called "deeming" to speed up passage of health care legislation. The move would allow the House to pass the Senate health bill without a separate and distinct vote on it.

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Tea Party activists held a rally Tuesday on Capitol Hill to kill the health care measure House Democrats hope to pass this week. They called their rally Code Red for Health Care, and hoped their voices would help stall the bill.

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The Vatican is responding strongly to accusations that Pope Benedict XVI tried to cover up the sexual abuse of children by priests. The charges stem from abuse cases in Germany when the pope was the archbishop of Munich. John Allen, senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, says prior to these revelations, the pope had been credited with his handling of sex-abuse claims in the Catholic Church.

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In Cuba, a U.S. government contractor has been jailed since December on suspicions of being a spy. U.S. officials say he was doing development work. The incident has soured the Obama's administration's cautious outreach to Cuba and left a trail of questions about the man and his work.

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A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake capable of tremendous damage struck central Chile early Saturday, shaking the capital for a minute and a half and setting off a tsunami.

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The Federal Reserve decided to keep its benchmark interest rate near zero, reinforcing a commitment that rates should stay "exceptionally low" as the economy emerges from recession. Officials said high unemployment and low inflation were at the crux of the decision.

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Health care overhaul could help Democrats get student aid reforms passed. The change would shift lending from private banks to the Education Department. Advocates say it could save at least $67 billion, which could be put back into more financial aid for needy students.

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Analysts say the deaths of Americans in Juarez last weekend may put more pressure on the Obama administration to act. The U.S. already gives hundreds of millions of dollars to Mexico for its drug fight.

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Red-shirted protesters had threatened to carry out the symbolic act in Bangkok if Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva didn't agree to dissolve the country's parliament by Monday. The government has activated special security provisions just short of martial law.

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A rate hike isn't imminent. But at their meeting Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues will likely focus on how to telegraph that higher rates are coming once the economic recovery is more deeply rooted.

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Housing construction fell 5.9 percent last month as winter blizzards held down activity in the Northeast and South. Building permits, considered a good barometer of future activity, fell 1.6 percent.

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U.S. envoy George Mitchell put off a visit indefinitely as Israel's foreign minister signaled his government had no intention of curtailing the construction at the heart of the row. Palestinians hurled rocks and set fires across Jerusalem's eastern sector, where the construction is planned.

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English progressive rockers turned 1980s pop stars Genesis have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a New York City ceremony. They're being joined by two other acts that thrived in second lives: ABBA and The Hollies.

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